Where to rent in Phoenix?

Many people decide to rent for 6 months or a year to try to get their bearings, and take their time finding a great house to buy.  Still six months can be a looong time if what you thought was a great neighborhood turns out to be the ghetto. 

So get some help.  I can show you around town, help you find great schools, easier commutes, and friendly neighborhoods, along with showing you rental homes and condos.  My relocation services for renters are the same for home buyers. 

Relocation Help for Renters

Usually my rental clients fly into town for a day or two, we’ve usually narrowed the location down a bit by email prior to their arrival.  I set up the appointments with prospective landlords from both the Realtor MLS system and Craigslist.  We spend the day checking out homes, neighborhoods, etc and they leave with a lease and a good idea of what they’re getting into.

To reserve the day is $500 and an additional $1000 is due at the end of the house-hunting.  All of my clients have found this service to be greatly worth the money.   It can make the relocating enjoyable and way less stress-ful.

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These aspects directly affect our everyday lifestyle.  I have found that when my clients keep their family lifestyle in mind, without getting distracted by the model furniture or the gourmet appliances, they are able to find their perfect home.  The best part is the lack of buyer’s remorse. 

Isn’t that the worst feeling?  You’ve gone through this stressful and expensive endeavor of buying a new home. You are finally done and settle in.  Well, you try to, but you realize there is absolutely no storage for your three teenagers’ sports equipment.  Or you wake up the first night to the baby crying because the air conditioner is right outside her window?

Instead of chancing that lack of sleep, take the time to think about what is crucial in your day-to-day life.  Is it the walk in the morning before the kids are up that keeps you sane?  A community with walking trails would probably mean a lot.  Does the constant pounding of a basketball drive you mad?  You might need a community court around the corner instead of a garage hoop. 

Even families without children can benefit from keeping their family lifestyle in the forefront.  I’ll use my newlywed friends as an example.  They just bought the cutest little puppy.  He reminds me a lot of my toddler.  They both drool, both of them have trouble stopping before hitting the screen door, and don’t even get me started on the bladder issues.  My friends and their puppy make a very sweet family.  While looking for a home for them, we had certain criteria in mind:  proximity to a dog park, tile floors to stay cool, and a safe backyard.  An added bonus, a closet door that securely shuts to keep Fluffy away from the shoes. 

These are just a few examples of how family lifestyle real estate can help your home hunt become enjoyable and more satisfying in the end.  House hunting itself can be overwhelming and confusing.  By keeping your day to day lifestyle in mind, you can easily find a home that feels like you, with or without the oatmeal.  Duck!

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While a select few are saying that it sounds “ghetto”, most residents just say that it sounds bland, generic and not really representative of their community.  And are really upset that the Board didn’t ask for ANY feedback before making the decision. 

The Gilbert School Board has now voted (2-3) to reconsider the name at their next meeting .  Believe me, I noted which of the elected officials were in favor of reconsidering the name, and which were not.  They promised a survey on the district website to allow for community-wide input. 

I love that the School Board was responsive to the 80+ emails they received about the name.  It’s too bad that some of the comments got pretty nasty, I would hope that Gilbert residents could broaden their vocabulary enough not to be offensive. 

I think the suggestion I agreed with the most was one honoring the history of the area, possibly the Lamoreaux family that has farmed in Gilbert for over 100 years, or John Allen, who supplied hay to the Calvary. 

What do you think?  If you were going to name the Gilbert School District’s final high school, what would it be?

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Near the corner of Lindsay and Ray Roads in Gilbert AZ, is another great family-friendly neighborhood.  Lindsay Ranch features a range of home sizes, a great location, and a friendly atmosphere.

Residents in Lindsay Ranch enjoy a few community get togethers every year, they recently just hosted their annual community garage sale.  They voted to upgrade their community park with a large sunshade, which extends the park play time by at least a month or two every year.  When I am showing clients how to find a family friendly neighborhood, looking for a playground with a sunshade is a key factor to how the residents, and therefore the HOA, decide to spend their money. 

The homes in Lindsay Ranch range from smaller 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, 2 car garage all the way to huge 3,500 square foot, 5 bedroom plus a loft, 3 car garage floorplans.  This range in homes means that all kinds of families live there.  From the empty nesters to the first time home buyers all the way to the four kids and a dog, every kind of family can find their home in Lindsay Ranch. 

The subdivision totals 3 different sections, with a large neighborhood park in the middle.  One section is devoted to single story homes only, allowing a great sense of privacy.

Lindsay Ranch is located near the new San Tan mall, close to the new 202 freeway, easy driving to Target, Wal-Mart, and Cost-Co.  It’s considered a very central location for Gilbert, not “too far out”. 

At the time of writing this post, there are currently eleven homes for sale in Lindsay Ranch, ranging from $175k for 1,500 square feet to $400k for 3,500 square feet.   Lots to choose from in yet another Family Friendly Neighborhood in the Phoenix area!

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On August 16, 2008, a Mesa Arizona couple were in a plane crash and suffered massive 3rd degree burns.  The story could end there, in sadness. 

It even gets sadder, the young couple has four sweet children.  But the story doesn’t end there.  In fact that’s where the story gets magical. 

Turns out this young mom, Stephanie Nielson, has much magic of her own.  She blogged, but not just your run of the mill blabbering that so much of us do.  She took magic and put it on the screen.  She not only entertained you but thrilled you with inspiration.  The creativity that spills from her blog posts is astounding. 

When news of the plane crash and the extensive hospitilization that would be needed for Stephanie and her husband reached the internet, magic created magic.  The blogging world united in a never-before-seen kind of way.  Thousands of dollars have been raised from fellow bloggers in a variety of ways.  Community garage sales, online auctions, even ski day fundraisers are being organized.  News of the bloggers fundraising have been broadcast on national news shows. 

As a local blogger of family friendly neighborhoods, I knew I needed to do my part.  From now until the end of the year, 10% of all my commissions will be donated to the Nielson Recovery Fund. 

Stephanie Nielson’s blog posts are now being reposted as thousands of people are now finding her blog and begging for more.  When she wakes up from her chemically-induced coma, she will certainly find fame waiting for her.

Visit the Nie Nie Dialogues, be touched, get inspired, maybe even donate.  The internet is a magical thing.

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Once you’ve moved to the Phoenix area, it’s time to make your new home as gorgeous and stunning as possible, while on a decent budget of course.  One of the locals’ secrets for incredible and affordable home design is the premiere interior decorator of the East Valley.  Nicole Fuller, owner of Custom Interiors, does everything from oh-so-chic baby bedding to entire home transformations.  Previously she has worked on a strictly referral basis but her business is rapidly growing beyond just word of mouth.  Check out her blog at Custom Interiors By Nicole.  Reach her at 480-217-0215.  Be prepared though, one meeting with Nicole and your whole world could change. 

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From the moment we met Elena Thurston and contracted her to be our real estate agent to sell our home, it has been a very rewarding experience.  Elena’s expertise in staging our home and bringing out our home’s best features gave us much confidence.  She rewarded our trust and confidence by communicating often with us and updating us at every step of the process of selling our home.  Elena has been invaluable to us in selling our home and we would highly recommend that you enjoy the same experience that we have. 

 

Jene and Matt H.

Elena has been amazing during our home buying process.  She is extremely professional and really cares about us and what we need as a growing family.  The real estate market is crazy right now and we know we are in the best hands with Elena.  I can’t imagine purchasing a home without her!

Greg and Annalissa S.

We were so fortunate to have you as our Realtor!  You were so helpful, fun, and resourceful!  We’ll always remember the times and great experience we had with you!

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Okay, downtown is right in the middle of the map, see where the 51 meets the 202?  Downtown is just to the left of that.  So, if you are heading to North Mesa, you take the Loop 202 straight out of downtown.  The tan area is Mesa, it’s pretty big huh?

Tempe is obviously very close, that’s the nearest green area.  Look under Mesa, the purple is Chandler and the pinkish is Gilbert.  All of those triangles are park n rides for carpoolers, with some bus routes picking up there. 

Okay, now that you have your bearings, let’s talk commute in the Phoenix area.  We start with the assumption that someone in the household works in or near downtown Phoenix but wants to live somewhere affordable, family friendly, with good schools. 

First you should know that for some reason, it’s the north/south commute that is the most bogged down, that Loop 101 is especially hairy but they are building a carpool lane so that should really help.  See the curve in the I-10, we call it the Broadway Curve and it’s the thing that kills the I-10, even though it has a carpool lane.  See how the Loop 202 curves around (hence Loop?), we use the terms “Upper 202″ and “Lower 202″ for obvious reasons. 

The key to a good commute isn’t actually physical proximity to Downtown Phoenix but proximity to the freeway.  A 30 minute drive to Downtown Phoenix on surface streets is maybe 8 miles, a 30 minute drive on freeway is at least 25 miles.  So if your house is within 3 miles of the freeway, you can go further and further out and get a more affordable home. 

The average downtown commute time from the East Valley is 30 minutes without traffic and 45-60 minutes in rush hour. 

You can browse my family friendly neighborhoods to get a sense of the different communities, especially check out “What’s the Difference between Gilbert and Chandler?”.  But here’s an extremely generalized summary of the different East Valley Cities:

Mesa:  is huge, is the oldest of all the suburbs, honestly I would only consider buying a home in two areas.  North Mesa, along the freeway, good neighborhoods, good schools, great proximity to hiking, lake access, etc.  Or far South East Mesa, look at Elliot Rd off the Lower 202.  Feels rural but still lots to do.  Great Gilbert Schools in that area with Low Mesa Taxes.

Tempe:  mostly college town with ASU on the northern edge.  I love Tempe because it has some great older homes, lots of green mature trees, tons of culture, and if you do enough research, really good schools.  High in taxes though and houses cost more. 

Chandler:  it’s nice, it’s big,  I would only consider buying a home south of the Lower 202 and that really extends the commute.  It has some great schools.  Lots to do.  Great neighborhoods include Ocotillo, Old Stone Ranch, Pinelake Estates, Arden Park, Carino Estates….

Gilbert:  My personal favorite, because it’s where I currently live and to me, it’s the most family friendly.  It has really good schools, lots of parks, a brand new mall, and generally good freeway access.  Great Gilbert Neighborhoods include Jake’s Ranch, Val Vista Lakes, Country Lane, Power Ranch, Seville (far commute), Agritopia, ……

To look for homes for sale in any of these neighborhoods: click on the corresponding tag below or click on “Search for Homes” above and enter in the Subdivision Name.

If you have any questions or want more info about commuting, relocating to Mesa, Chandler, or Gilbert, just email me.  Have a great day!

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Well, let’s throw in a rural feeling but all great shopping within a few minutes drive. Can we get back to the affordable part? It needs to actually be affordable not just say it.

“Fine, fine” your handy family real estate specialist says. “I’ve got all that.” What?!

It’s true. I’m talking about the Fulton development of Cortina. Officially it’s in Queen Creek, but since it’s 20 feet from the Gilbert border, I include it in my family friendly list of Gilbert neighborhoods. You might ask why I’m advertising a builder development for them. But my first concern is my clients. And anytime I can find you a friendly, safe, and affordable Phoenix area neighborhood, I’m going to tell you about it.

My last client who bought there has plenty to say about it, so let’s hear from a first-hand account. Wendy and Brigham were looking for the perfect home in the East Valley to raise their sweet little girls, and maybe a few more. They had all of the above criteria, with the affordability being the biggest criteria.

We found a 2000 square foot home for them in the Cortina development, five bedrooms, complete and ready which was important since their lease was up soon. And even better, they qualified for the Maricopa County Bond Program which supplied their down payment and I negotiated so Fulton covered the rest of their closing costs. Six weeks later, they were into their brand new home with nothing, I mean nothing, out of their own pocket.

The happy story doesn’t end there. Wendy loves all of the walking trails and numerous parks that are within walking distance. Now that it’s nice and hot here, she and the girls are enjoying daily treks to the community pool. “My favorite part is the kiddie pool. It’s only a 1 1/2 feet deep so even my littlest one can play while I sit and watch.” The adult pool is plenty big as well with plenty of lounge chairs to go around. Bathrooms make the afternoon extra easy.

Wendy has also met plenty of nice neighbors. She says it’s easy to get to know other families just by going to one of the many parks or the pool and striking up conversation. That can really appeal to families moving to Phoenix from out of state that are concerned about making friends.

Wendy says many people think of Queen Creek and think it’s just too far out. But since she’s right on the border of Gilbert, all of her conveniences are a quick drive away. The Cost-Co, Super Wal-Mart, Target, and new mall and movie theatre are a seven minute drive away. Affordable, friendly, and fun: Cortina is one of the best Phoenix area neighborhoods.

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Newlyweds Brent and Kirstin H. were on a hunt for their first home. They knew they wanted a family friendly Phoenix neighborhood, that was pretty, with a great location.

While driving through South Chandler, they took a glance at the green golf courses, numerous lakes and fabulous shopping. They they look past it to the empty fields and they knew. This is the place, great location, great investment.

Two years and one baby boy later, Kristin and Brent are happy to call Pinelake Estates Home. Kristin explains why, “I love to take walks around the lake and along the Paseo Trail. We love the views of the golf course and the mountains. There are all kinds of families here.”

One of the best features of this Chandler neighborhood is the 10 acre city park right in the middle of the community. Not only does it have a sunscreen-covered playground that every kid would love, it also has horseshoe pits, volleyball and basketball courts, along with covered picnic tables. Of course there is a huge field for baseball, soccer, and football.

Within easy driving you can get to great amenities. Home Depot, Target, grocery stores, the post office, all are an easy 5 minute drive. Chandler schools are highly rated, especially the top-ranked Hamilton High School that is just around the corner.

If you would like to see what homes are availabe in Pinelake Estates, click the “Search for Homes” button above and use Pinelake Estates for the subdivision name. If you find something you like, contact me for a private tour!

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